-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The tiger is one of wildlife 's most endangered species , but there 's one big cat which refuses to be tamed .

Meet Radamel Falcao -- or `` El Tigre '' as his friends nicknamed him after watching him terrorize defenders on the streets of Colombia as a child .

From making his professional debut at just 13 to running top-class defenders ragged , this is one Tiger who has n't changed his stripes since bursting onto the scene in Europe with Porto and Atletico Madrid .

`` I think that every person specializes in what they know best and as a young kid , I liked scoring goals , '' he told CNN .

`` Later , I realized that 's what I was best at and I went perfecting that aspect to give the best of myself to my team in the position I played , which was striker . ''

Constantly on the prowl for goals , the 26-year-old is one of football 's most wanted transfer targets , with several top European clubs waiting to poach him from Atletico .

He moved to Spain in a â ‚ ¬ 40 million -LRB- $ 53 million -RRB- deal from Porto in 2011 , and scored 36 goals in his debut season in La Liga including two in the Europa League final against Athletic Bilbao .

His stunning hat-trick in the demolition of European champions Chelsea at the 2012 Super Cup Final underlined to those not au fait with Spanish football just how deadly he can be .

Atletico thrash Chelsea in Super Cup

Falcao then went on a streak which saw him score in 11 consecutive games for club and country between August and late October .

With 18 goals in La Liga this season , the vultures are circling the Vicente Calderon once again , with Real Madrid , Chelsea and Manchester City all hovering .

But Falcao insists he is happy with life at Atletico and says he has no thoughts of moving on -- at least not yet .

`` I have three years left on my contract with the club and my reality is that this contract ties me down for a few more seasons , '' Falcao said .

`` Afterwards though , I do n't know what 's going to happen in the future as it 's in the hands of the people responsible for deciding the future of the players on Atletico .

`` I simply give the best of myself for the team , for this really good season that we 're having . We have a lot of objectives/goals in our sight and I hope that we can achieve them . ''

Falcao has emerged as one of the world 's top goalscorers since making the move to Porto from Argentina 's River Plate in July 2009 .

It was in Portugal that he came to prominence , scoring 34 goals including the winner in the final of the 2011 Europa League to help the club pull off a quadruple haul of trophies .

His goalscoring feats in the continent 's second-tier competition , in which he scored a record 17 goals , earned him a move to Spain where he has led the line for Atletico with his predatory instincts causing havoc for defenses across Europe .

Can Falcao help Atletico Madrid reign in Spain ?

It is a skill which he honed as a youngster , spending many hours on the practice fields in a bid to perfect the art of one of football 's hardest arts -- scoring goals .

Ever since he ran around the streets barefoot , covered with scratches and blood , Falcao 's desire has been to reach the very top .

His father played club football in Colombia , and there was never a doubt in Falcao 's mind what he wanted to achieve in life .

Incredibly , he made his professional debut for Deportivo Pereira at the age of just 13 , making him the youngest player to ever appear professionally in Colombian football .

At the age of 14 he moved to Argentina to pursue his dream of becoming a professional footballer . It was there that he flourished , establishing himself as one of the most exciting players at River Plate .

After overcoming a serious knee injury in 2006 , he returned to lead River Plate to the Clausura title and earn a move to Europe with Porto .

It was the realization of a dream for a player which had begun life with one simple dream -- to become one of the best striker 's on the planet .

Fantasy football : Pedro Pinto 's team of 2012

`` Thanks to lots of training and hard work , I was able to succeed and be able to shine above other players of my age , '' Falcao said .

`` This is work that took a long time , many years in terms of knowing the position , the development of my abilities and also the talent and potential that I was born with .

`` Through lots of training , I went along perfecting it , along with knowing the team that I play with , both Atletico Madrid and my national team , which allowed my good development as a striker . ''

While league and cup success with Atletico remains his priority , the opportunity to lead Colombia into battle at the 2014 World Cup is high up on the agenda .

Falcao on fire as Atletico Madrid win Europa League

Colombia has not appeared at the World Cup finals since 1998 , but is third in the South American qualifying section . The top four of the nine competing nations will automatically qualify for Brazil , while the fifth-placed team goes into a playoff against an Asia confederation side .

Falcao who has scored five goals in six qualifying games , wants the latest generation of Colombian talent to write their own records and emerge from the shadow of former great players such as Carlos Valderrama and Faustino Asprilla .

`` We 're forming quite a strong team and hopefully we can manage to qualify for the World Cup and for the next few World Cups and bring lots of other triumphs and victories home , '' he said .

`` I do n't like comparisons too much -- we simply want to write our own history and hope that it 's important for our country . ''

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Radamel Falcao , known as `` El Tigre , '' is one of the world 's most lethal strikers

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Colombian fired Spanish club Atletico Madrid to Europa League glory last season

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The 26-year-old , a pro since age 13 , is the son of a former professional footballer

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Falcao scored 36 goals last year and has 18 in La Liga so far this season